Great literature provides didactic commentaries on universal themes in the drama of life and visceral lessons on leadership. The careful reading of timeless novels position readers to emerge as astute protagonists in their own stories in the context of the grander narrative and internalize universal themes of the human story. Students of the great works of literature also emerge culturally literate, with a better understanding of themselves and others in relation to nobler virtues, traditions, and purposes. In addition to demonstrating great works of literature as among the first formal books on leadership, this book makes explicit connections between the study of literature and the research found in leadership and management studies. This book: Provides a bridge between the robust literary world and the leadership and management genre. Demonstrates how language and literature uniquely develop leaders to have a sophisticated understanding of historical and contemporary cultures, events, and people. Documents how powerful narratives either promote or diminish human flourishing. Illustrates the usefulness of all great literature and stories in shaping engaging and compelling workplace narratives that inspire and engage the collective. Equips leaders and managers with the knowledge and skills to embrace the drama of leadership and engage in meaningful sensemaking to help organizations thrive. Encourages readers to be connoisseurs of great works of literature and include such works in their leadership libraries. This book is ideal for the initiated and uninitiated in the study of literature and leadership by making explicit complementary and relevant insights to make reading and leading much more meaningful. Those unfamiliar with great literature will gain a deeper appreciation for books serving as tutors and mentors in the ways of leadership and become more discerning readers. Those unfamiliar with the leadership genre will improve their acumen to use endearing and enduring narratives to influence people and organizations.

Through rich analysis of the main characters in "The Death of a Salesman, The Secret Sharer, The Last Tycoon," and other stories, Badaracco addresses complex issues leaders face, such as the soundness of their vision, their readiness to take on responsibility, the depth of their compassion, and their ability to manage success.

Finalist for the 2015 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Best business book of the week from Inc.com The author of Power, Stanford business school professor, and a leading management thinker offers a hard-hitting dissection of the leadership industry and ways to make workplaces and careers work better. The leadership enterprise is enormous, with billions of dollars, thousands of books, and hundreds of thousands of blogs and talks focused on improving leaders. But what we see worldwide is employee disengagement, high levels of leader turnover and career derailment, and failed leadership development efforts. In Leadership BS, Jeffrey Pfeffer shines a bright light on the leadership industry, showing why it’s failing and how it might be remade. He sets the record straight on the oft-made prescriptions for leaders to be honest, authentic, and modest, tell the truth, build trust, and take care of others. By calling BS on so many of the stories and myths of leadership, he gives people a more scientific look at the evidence and better information to guide their careers. Rooted in social science, and will practical examples and advice for improving management, Leadership BS encourages readers to accept the truth and then use facts to change themselves and the world for the better.

In this series of lectures, previously unpublished in English, andhere translated from a French reconstruction and interpretation bynoted scholar Thierry Weil, leading organizational scholar JamesMarch uses great works of literature to explore the problems ofleadership. Uses great works of literature to explore the problems ofleadership, for example War and Peace, Othello, and DonQuixote. Presents moral dilemmas related to leadership, for example thebalance between private life and public duties, and between theexpression and the control of sexuality. Encourages readers to explore ideas that are sometimessubversive and unpalatable but may allow organizations to adapt ina rapidly changing world.

»The Secret Sharer« is a short story by Joseph Conrad, originally published in 1910. JOSEPH CONRAD [1857–1924] was born in Ukraine to Polish parents, went to sea at the age of seventeen, and ended his career as a captain in the English merchant navy. His most famous work is the novella Heart of Darkness [1899], adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola in 1979 as Apocalypse Now.

Explores the idea of leadership in our culture today and in the past through theological evaluation, theory and practice, and examples of exemplary leaders.

Understanding leadership is really about understanding life, and this starts with gaining an understanding of the self. Traditional management approaches, based on 'scientific' analysis, cannot contribute much towards understanding leadership. This book shows how leadership can be better understood by reading and interpreting masterpieces of world literature, and relating them to leadership issues. The book starts with Cervantes' masterpiece Don Quixote, whose main character asserts, 'I know who I am', and believes in himself. This is followed by other works to highlight important issues: ambition and purpose in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, faith vs. reason in Bertolt Brecht's The Life of Galileo, awakening the human spirit in Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, authenticity in Girish Karnad's Tughlaq, and the old Sanskrit play Mudra Rakshasa by Visakhadatta, leaders and society in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, the role of illusions in Ibsen's The Wild Duck, taking a stand in A Dolls' House, the epic Mahabharata for development of perspective, and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha for understanding the process of self-development and realisation of one's potential. Based on the experience of the authors teaching a course on leadership for the last 20 years at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, this is an enlightening and illuminating read for both academicians and corporate leaders.